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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
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  <h1></h1>

  <p>The preposition <span class="hanzi">给</span> (<span class="pinyin">gěi</span>) can mean "<b>for</b>," as in, "everything I do, I do it <b>for</b> you." You can also think of it to mean "<b>give</b>," like to give a service or to give an Obj.. In this case, the default position of the character is before the verb, although it sometimes comes after, depending on the verb.</p>

  <h2>Contents</h2>

  <ol>
    <li>Structure<br/></li>

    <li>Examples<br/></li>

    <li>See also<br/></li>

    <li>Sources and further reading<br/></li>

    <ol>
      <li>Books<br/></li>
    </ol>
  </ol>

  <h2 id="structure">Structure</h2>

  <p>The meaning of <span class="hanzi">给</span> is very similar to <a href="%E4%B8%BA" class="uri" title="wikilink">为</a> (<span class="pinyin">wèi</span>) in Chinese, but <span class="hanzi">给</span> is more informal than <span class="hanzi">为</span>, and there are many cases where it's simply based on convention and general practice to decide to use one or the other.</p>

  <div>
    <div class="deux">
      Subj. + <span class="hanzist">给</span> + Recipient + Verb + Obj.
    </div>
  </div>

  <p>Note that the "recipient" in the pattern above is usually a person, but isn't necessarily a person. It could be an animal, or company, or any number of other types of recipients.</p>

  <h2 id="examples">Examples</h2>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">妈妈 在 给 孩子 们 做饭 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Māma zài gěi háizi men zuòfàn.</span><br/><span> Mom is cooking for the kids.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 父母 会 不 会 给 你 买 房子 ？</span> <span class="pinyin">Nǐ fùmǔ huì bu huì gěi nǐ mǎi fángzi?</span> <span> Will your parents buy a home for you?</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">给 我 泡 一 杯 茶 好 吗 ？</span> <span class="pinyin">Gěi wǒ pào yī bēi chá hǎo ma?</span><br/><span> Could you make a cup of tea for me?</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">老公 给 我 买 了 一 个 大 蛋糕。</span> <span class="pinyin">Lǎogōng gěi wǒ mǎi le yī gè dà dàngāo.</span><br/><span> My husband bought a big cake for me.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">请 给 我 拿 一 双 筷子。</span> <span class="pinyin">Qǐng gěi wǒ ná yī shuāng kuàizi.</span><br/><span> Please give me a pair of chopsticks.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我 给 你 带 了 巧克力。</span> <span class="pinyin">Wǒ gěi nǐ dài le qiǎokèlì.</span><br/><span> I brought some chocolate for you.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">如果 你 来 中国 玩 ，我 给 你 当 导游 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Rúguǒ nǐ lái Zhōngguó wán, wǒ gěi nǐ dāng dǎoyóu.</span><br/><span> If you come to visit China, I'll serve as tour guide for you.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我 没 带 钥匙 ，你 能 给 我 开 一下 门 吗 ？</span> <span class="pinyin">Wǒ méi dài yàoshi, nǐ néng gěi wǒ kāi yīxià mén ma?</span><br/><span> I don't have the key. Could you please open the door for me?</span></li>

      <li><span class="vert"><span class="hanzi">小时候，妈妈 经常 给 我 讲 故事。</span> In some cases, translating with "for" in English doesn't work well.</span><span class="pinyin"> Xiǎoshíhou, māma jīngcháng gěi wǒ jiǎng gùshi.</span><br/><span> When I was little, mom often told me stories.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">医生 在 给 病人 看 病。</span> <span class="vert">In some cases, translating with "for" in English doesn't work well.</span><span class="pinyin"> Yīshēng zài gěi bìngrén kànbìng.</span><br/><span> The doctor is seeing the patient.</span></li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>

  <ul>
    <li><a href="&quot;For&quot;_with_&quot;wei&quot;" title="wikilink">"For" with "wei"</a></li>

    <li><a href="Verbs_with_&quot;gei&quot;" title="wikilink">Verbs with "gei"</a></li>
  </ul>

  <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>

  <h3 id="books">Books</h3>

  <ul>
    <li><span class="hanzi">现代汉语虚词例释</span> (p. 196)</li>
  </ul>

  <h3 id="dictionaries">Dictionaries</h3>

  <ul>
    <li><span class="hanzi">现代汉语词典（第5版）</span> (p. 464)</li>
  </ul>
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